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- Wired Productions
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- Wired Productions
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- Wired Productions
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- Wired Productions
Close to the Sun
Released On: May 2, 2019
66
5.5
Where to Buy
Where to Buy
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 38 Critic Reviews
66
18% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
79% Mixed
30 Reviews
30 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 38 Critic Reviews
66
18% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
79% Mixed
30 Reviews
30 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
When Tesla fights with Edison, sparkles fly. An above-average story, perfect atmosphere and a decent pace. You will spend one great afternoon with the game despite its minor shortcomings. [Issue#304]
Storm in a Teacup did an excellent job in creating an intriguing and at the same time anxious setting, even if it’s held back by shallow puzzles and pointless action sections.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 154 User Ratings
5.5
32% Positive
50 Ratings
50 Ratings
38% Mixed
58 Ratings
58 Ratings
30% Negative
46 Ratings
46 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 154 User Ratings
5.5
32% Positive
50 Ratings
50 Ratings
38% Mixed
58 Ratings
58 Ratings
30% Negative
46 Ratings
46 Ratings
This is a great game!
A solid first person experience, GREAT story, astonishing graphics, awesome gameplay.
I don´t know how this game is so badly reviewed... maybe they expect shooting or ghosts, i don´t know.
If you like a good story, this game is for you (think about Firewatch with sci-fi).
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PC
One look at Close to the Sun and you’ll have a fairly clear picture of whether it’s for you or not. Despite its lofty ideas and immersive environments, Close to the Sun is a fairly lightweight adventure that trades on creeping scores and an intoxicating aura of mystery. There’s nothing to grapple onto that really elevates it above this. That's not to say this is an average game, it's a stronger experience than that, it just struggles to pull itself into the echelons of must-play territory. For horror fans, that could well be enough though, and it’s an engaging enough time but not one that necessarily sticks after the credits roll.
With interesting setting and characters, Close to the Sun starts as a piece of art, but it doesn't keep its premises due to hurried pacing and a bit superficial evolution of the story. Non trivial jumpscares and a good direction make this short game really a missed opportunity and only a decent horror adventure.
Close to the Sun’s idea has a lot of potential, but its linear exploration concept and too easy puzzles aren’t capable of retain our attention for too long.
Simple puzzles and bland chases prevent Close to the Sun from living up to its numerous inspirations. While the game has a decent retro style and an intriguing horror narrative, it never makes the player a true participant.
Close to the Sun is a game that’s only remarkable for its scenery. And it’s a shame, really, as the Helios could have carried a great tale. As it is though, while there’s nothing about Close to the Sun that’s broken, there’s nothing compelling enough to make it worth your while, especially with its short run time and lack of replayability.
Я бы охарактеризовал игру как симулятор ходьбы в декорациях из Bioshock. Тот же стиль арт-деко, научные достижения, непонятные механизмы, стимпанк, и как всегда все идет к чертям как раз перед вашим появлением на корабле. Только вы - хрупкая девушка, никакого оружия, плазмидов, никаких суперспособностей. Даже монтировку не выдадут. К счастью, противников здесь немного и появляются они строго по сюжету. Некоторые воспринимают игру как хоррор вроде Амнезии, Пенумбры или SOMA. Сразу скажу - хоррором здесь не пахнет. Есть несколько стремных моментов, но это не делает из игры хоррор. Большая часть времени - медитативное (хотя и совершенно линейное) блуждание по кораблю, с изучением записок и в поисках разгадки.
Плюсы:
+ОЧЕНЬ КРАСИВО. Визуальный стиль - то, ради чего вообще стоит играть в эту игру. Сделано суперски, ярко, с вниманием к деталям. В некоторых местах вы захотите делать скриншоты каждые 20 секунд.
+ Не затянуто. Для кого-то это , может быть, минус, но для такой истории плюс. Пройти можно за несколько часов.
+ Неплохой сюжет. Хотя, доля бреда , конечно, присутствует.
Минусы:
- Почти нулевая интерактивность окружения. Смотреть можно, трогать - нет. Ну то есть, от того что вы трогаете, ничего не поменяется).
- Игра простая. Местами, даже слишком. Почти везде нас водят за руку. Заблудиться невозможно. Инвентаря нет. Погибнуть можно, по моему, разве что специально (ну или во время сцен погони свернуть не туда). Головоломки (если это можно так назвать) решит семилетний ребенок.
- Как всегда, куча вопросов без ответов. Но это уже вроде как классика для сюжетов, где есть хоть какая-то фантастика.
В общем, если вы готовы на пару вечеров погрузиться в красивую атмосферу стимпанка и фантастики (другое измерение, путешествия во времени, Никола Тесла собственной персоной, вот это вот все), без напряжения, беготни (почти) и сражений - игру вполне можно вам порекомендовать.
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PC
Review:
First, I must preface the rest of this review on the fact I REALLY did have fun with this game. It is such an amazing concept with beautifully rendered scenes, surprisingly good pacing, and very good voice acting. It runs smoothly on good hardware and I never had an issue with it. I feel it is mischaracterized as a Horror game when it should be classified as an Adventure/Mystery title. Additionally for ~$20 US it is a bargain for the experience.
Why the lower score then? Because it feels unfinished and it is lacking in some critical areas. Were it not for that, this game has the potential to be an 8 or 9, and maybe more considering it is an indie title that looks AAA. In my opinion, here are the gaps:
1. The puzzles are largely sophomoric and are 99% find the paper with the code.
2. The walking mechanic is PAINFULLY arduous and running is only SLIGHTLY better, except in the few chase sequences where you suddenly get a turbo boost.
3. It is lacking in true scare elements and would be better characterized as a mystery.
4. The transition (loading) screens reference elements that are NOT IN THE GAME! (e.g. collecting lightning and moving forward and backwards through time)
5. It is short and the ending is abrupt and jarring. It leaves you unfulfilled, and wanting more.
It seems to me that they really had an ambitious vision, but just could not hit their mark, so they rushed out what was ready. I would love to see them fix the **** bits and add more on as a free update (but I would begrudgingly accept a DLC) to really enjoy the potential of this game and the complete vision of the story. To see the true vision would be worth the price.
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PC
What a huge disappointment. I love a good walking simulator (think Firewatch, Edith Finch, Layers of Fear) so this looked so intriguing with it's art style and story, but unfortunately that can't save a game runs like trash. The framerate drops to a slideshow constantly, controls are unresponsive, level design is dull and doesn't telegraph where you need to be going during chase sequences leading to constant trial and error, and the audio constantly goes out of sync with the visuals (especially the subtitles).
There is also a major problem with the textures - unless the texture quality is set to "Very High" in the options they're nothing but a blurry pixelated mess making the game look like some kind of late 90s budget title. Because of this you can't use the environmental details like signage to find your way through the levels, not to mention the game likes to write down door codes on whiteboards which become unreadable if you're experiencing this problem.
I really wanted to like this, but it's just too much of a technical mess to be anything but ugly to look at and frustrating to play.
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PC
I really disliked this game. It switches between being a walking simulator and being chased through areas you haven't visited before which makes those pure trial and error.
The graphics and story are nice but the gameplay is very bad. It's also way too linear.
If you like playing a game that switches between being boring and frustrating, this game is for you. Otherwise I wouldn't touch this.
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PC
Summary It’s 1897. Deep in international waters, the Helios stands still. Dark clouds loom overhead as unforgiving waves crash against the hull. Colossal effigies of gold, decorated with magnificent finery, stretch as far as the eye can see. Born of Nikola Tesla’s vision, the Helios serves as a haven for the greatest scientific minds. An unbo...
Rated M
for Mature
Platforms:
- PC
- PlayStation 4
- Xbox One
- Nintendo Switch
Initial Release Date: May 2, 2019
Developer:
- Storm in a Teacup
Publisher: Wired Productions
Genres: